Queen Elizabeth II 'most popular royal': survey

19 Apr, 2006

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is the most popular member of the royal family and more than half her subjects want her to reign for the rest of her life, a poll ahead of her 80th birthday suggested Tuesday.
Some 26 percent of respondents plumped for the monarch - who turns 80 on Friday - as their favourite royal compared to just one percent for Camilla, the second wife of Prince Charles, the queen's eldest son and heir apparent.
Prince William, 23, second in line to the throne and Charles' elder son, was second with 21 percent followed by the queen's only daughter, Princess Anne, on 11 percent, the poll of 1,500 people for ITV News television found.
Charles and his younger son Prince Harry, 21, polled four percent each.
The survey showed strong support for the queen to stay on the throne until she dies (57 percent) while 16 percent thought she should step aside to make way for William. Only 12 percent wanted the queen to abdicate in favour of Charles.
It also found increased support for the idea of a monarchy: more than two-thirds (68 percent) still supported the concept while 13 percent were opposed to having a successor and want the country to become a republic.
When pollsters MORI asked the same question last year, 22 percent of the British public favoured abolishing the monarchy; 65 percent were in favour of it.
More than half (57 percent) felt Camilla should definitely not become queen when Charles becomes king while 29 percent believed she should.

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